Safety attachment fob bailway cabs



(No Model.)

B. HENN.

- SAFETY ATTAUHMENT FOR RAILWAY CARS.

Patented Aug. 1, 1882.

I qu .7.

INVENTO m Z ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDUABD HENN, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

SAFETY ATTACHMENT FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 261,923, dated August1, 1882. Application filed .Iune 1882. (No model.)

' City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Safety Attachments for Cars, ofwhich the followingiis a specifica- -tion.

This invention relates to an improved safety attachment for cars,whereby the occupants can conveniently escape from the car in case thesame is thrown oft'the track and on its side, set on fire, or otherwisewrecked; and the invention consists of a railroad-car provided withescape-openings in the root, and with sliding roof-sections actuated bysuitable mechanisn from the inside of the car. i I

In the accompanyingdrawings,Figure1 represents a side view, partly inlongitudinal section, ofa railroad-car with my improved safetyattachment. Fig. 2 is a top view of the same on a larger scale; andFigs. 3, 4, and 5 are a detail side view, end view, andplan of themechanism for operating the sliding sections of the car-roof.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a railroad passenger-oar, theroot'of which is provided with one or more escape'openings, a, ofsufficient size for admitting the passage of a person. Theescape-openings a are closed by sliding roof-sections B,-theflangedsides of which are guided in longitudinal ways b on the roof. Thesliding root-sections B are fitted to overlapping flanges a 'of theintermediate fixed roof-section, G. The sliding roof-sections B areoperated by a suitable actuating mechanism, D, which consists of tworack-bars. d, that are connected by fixed arms d to theslidingroof-seetionsB. Therack-barsdareguided in suitable ways securedto the inside of the car-roof. The rack-bars d are moved in oppositedirections by means of pinions d which are turned in opposite directionto each other by a gear-wheel, f, having handles f for operating thesame. The rack-bars d d are arranged at such a distance from each otherthat the pinions d can mesh with each other in the space between theracks, as shown in Fig. 5. The first pinion d, which is engaged by thegear-wheel f, is made wide enough to engage the second pinion 01 whichengages the second rack-bar, so that by turning the actuating gearwheelft-he rack-bars are moved in opposite directions, and thereby thesliding roof-sections on the top of the car are opened or closed. Theshafts of the pinions and actuating gearwheel are supported by a fixedhanger-plate, 0, applied to the root of the car, as shown in Figs. 3 and4.

In place of the actuating mechanism described, any other equivalentoperating mechanism may be used for moving the sliding r00fsections, asI do not confine myself to the specific construction shown.

The invention is specially designed for passenger and railway mail cars,as it furnishes a simple and convenient means whereby passengers andemploys may escape 'i'rom the car when the same is thrown over on itsside and set on fire or otherwise wrecked.

Having thus described myinvention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Paten t- As an improvement in railway-cars, the combinationof the car roof having transverse es-' cape-openings, with slidingroof-sections, guiding-ways. and mechanism arranged at the interior ot'the car, consisting of two rack-bars, d (1, arms (1, pinions d, turnedin opposite directions to each other, ge'ar-wheelf, handles f, andhanger-plate e, substantially as. described. In testimony that I claimthe foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

EDUARD HENN.

'Witnesses:

PAUL GoEPEL,

SIDNEY MANN.

